This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/8/2023
Historically known as the "Great Pox", syphilis was considered an epidemic in Europe throughout most of the 18th and 19th centuries. This all changed in 1909, when Paul Ehrlich, a young German chemist and bacteriologist, developed the first effective treatment against the disease. Ehrlich discovered Salvarsan, a chemical that treats syphilis microbes. Not only did he come up with the idea that a medical treatment could be custom made to target the specific cause of a disease, but he was also the first to treat disease with chemicals, effectively creating chemotherapy and coining the term the "Magic Bullet". He went onto win the Nobel Prize for Medicine for his contributions to immunology. Offered here is a vintage 3.5" x 5.5" postcard portrait of Ehrlich, signed in the lower border in ink by the Nobel Prize winner. The reverse bears a handwritten note in German by his wife, Hedwig Ehrlich, postmarked at Frankfurt, August 31, 1909, sending greetings to the British bacteriologist Henry George Plimmer. This is a rare autograph from an incredibly influential scientist who changed the course of medicine as we know it, dated to the year of his initial discovery! In fine condition with light handling wear, some rubbing to the ink of the signature, and toning to the reverse. Authenticated & encapsulated by Beckett Authentication Services (BAS).